Dressed for Summer

This is a post that should have gone up last week, I finally managed to get photos of Daughter No2 in her new dresses last Friday, so I should have got everything sorted on the weekend – except we tuned out over the weekend, because it finally rained! We haven’t had rain since the 27th of April, according to my gardening diary. So it was nice to just relax and do those things you do on a rainy day – together…

Shirtdress 117 from May 2011 Burdastyle

So Burda 117, May 2011. Unfortunately it is not available on the English Burdastyle website, so you’ll have to track down a copy in the flesh or download the German version! Daughter no 2 had spotted it earlier in her hunt for a shirtdress, one of many patterns to try this summer. I love the slim, elegant skirt and little sleeves. The version in the magazine is made in a gorgeous blue and white floral print and it was this and the shape of the dress that drew daughter no 2 to it. Now I was on the look out for a suitable fabric.

Burda dress 117 05/2011

I finally found something suitable from Croft Mill Fabrics and we snapped up the last 2m. It was a blue and white floral print cotton-linen blend, but when it was washed, it turned into a pale blue and darker blue floral print… Luckily the new colour was accepted and approved, but now I needed new thread and a change of button choice.

The blousing in the back that she didn’t really like

I traced the 38, and made a toile using some pretty vintage cotton I bought earlier in the year from a Mid-Century Modern Show in Dulwich. Overall, the dress was approved, I needed to bring it in towards the waist, effectively making it a 36 in that area, and I needed to make a swayback adjustment in the skirt. The back of the dress has vintage inspired fullness, which I really liked, but daughter no 2 didn’t. So I adjusted the pattern to remove most of the blousing. The toile was then finished off, buttons etc from the stash, and now it’s fully wearable.

The pattern is straight forward to make, nothing complicated. The skirt pockets are stitched to the front skirt, which means no flapping about. Apart from nipping in at the waist and reducing the volume in the back, I haven’t altered anything else. The buttons came from the stash as my very local haberdashery closed last winter and my next local in Stratford on Avon will be closing in September. So the stock is very low and choice is worse. I couldn’t trust getting anything online so was desperate to find something suitable from my button box. I wasn’t sure I had anything, the dress needs 10 buttons, and I had nothing that was suitable in those numbers. But I did have two sizes of the same design button that hubby thought would do the job just fine. So I used the 3 bigger buttons on the bodice, and the 6 smaller ones on the skirt. It looks like it was done on purpose, rather than by necessity!

I delivered both dresses to Birmingham on what felt like the hottest day of the year! Oh boy, has this summer been warm! They were both tried on immediately and the squeals of delight told me I’d done my job! 🙂

The new, volume-reduced back view

What I rather like about both dresses is their ability to be worn layered with a tee shirt or cami and jeans/shorts/cropped trousers. Of course, after floating that idea, it had to be tested out, with what I thought was great success. I have since been informed that both dresses have been worn successfully and that she loves them. Phew! 😉

I am still chipping away at that long list of things to make, three more items crossed off the list will hopefully be photographed in a couple of weekends when she and her sister come for a visit.

But I am now on the hunt for a jumpsuit pattern that will be suitable for petites, with sleeves. Other requirements are that it be loose fitting around the waist, be able to be cropped to 7/8 length and be able to be worn in an office. Ideas please hive mind…

9 thoughts on “Dressed for Summer”

How lovely, honestly, I’m glad you said that the fabric has all gone because I would’ve totally bonged over to Croft Mill for some of that blue, I have no shame. The pattern is reminiscent of the Seasalt Vivier dress that I’ve been asked to copy but haven’t got around to yet. What I have done though is a near identical rip off of the Stalf cocoon jumpsuit, it’s a great look and your girls would love it but it isn’t work appropriate, still, if you’ve got a minute?